Full Name: Berthold Konrad Hermann Albert Speer
Profession: Nazi Minister of Armaments and War Production
Why Famous: For most of World War II, Speer was the Nazi Minister of Armaments and War Production. Prior to this he was Adolf Hitler's chief architect; in this capacity he designed and constructed structures including the Reich Chancellery and the Zeppelinfeld stadium in Nuremberg where the mass rallies were held.
At the Nuremberg trials, Speer acted in contrition and became known as "the Nazi who said sorry". He accepted moral responsibility for Nazi crimes while claiming ignorance of the Holocaust. While historians doubt the level of his proclaimed ignorance, it nonetheless allowed him to escape the death penalty for the use of mass slave labor under his rule and for the displacement of Jews, particularly in Berlin, when his construction projects took place.
After his release from Spandau Prison, where he served 20-year sentence, he published two bestselling autobiographical works, Inside the Third Reich and Spandau: The Secret Diaries. He died of a stroke in 1981.
Born: March 19, 1905
Birthplace: Mannheim, Baden, Germany
Star Sign: Pisces
Died: September 1, 1981 (aged 76)
Cause of Death: Stroke
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